What my dogs eat is probably one of the top 5 questions I get asked on social media. The answer is my dogs eat only vegan food and they love it. I have been feeding them a plant-based diet for years and they are all doing extremely well! And even though many dog owners believe that their dogs must eat animal products, research shows this is simply not true. Dogs are the same as humans, they are omnivores, meaning they do not have to eat meat! You should also know that apart from fleas, the leading cause of skin allergic reactions in dogs is food allergies. These allergies frequently come from meat like beef, chicken, or lamb. A vegetarian or vegan diet that eliminates animal food sources will help to handle the allergic reaction and other health issues of your furry friends like liver disease and kidney stones.

My routine usually includes a home made breakfast for all my pups and vegan kibble for the remainder of the day. I do this because after a ton of research I know that the vegan brand dog food that I feed them has absolutely everything they need for a balanced diet but I also like to switch it up for breakfast so they don’t get bored with their food. My fav brand and my doggies fav brand of plant-based dog food is V-Dog (click here to see their products).

Before you decide to make your own home made recipes for your dog family, remember you should always do your homework! There is a ton of reliable research available on the net so take some time and learn. You will also need to watch your pet closely in the beginning. Anytime you change their diet, you should watch and make sure they aren’t having any type of allergic reaction to their new food. If your dog has specific health issues, you can speak with your vet, but from my experience most know very little about plant-based diets. Also, there are a number of common foods you should never use in dog recipes. Some of these are: alcohol, apple seeds and the pits of most fruits, avocados, candy and chocolate (particularly anything containing Xylitol - a sweetener), coffee and tea, garlic, grapes, gum, onions and onion powder, raisins, rhubarb leaves, salt, walnuts, Xylitol (very toxic to dogs), and yeast dough. This is not a complete list and you should always check before preparing any dog food at home.

So, back to feeding our fur babies - I usually take a Sunday afternoon and make up a large batch of the home made stuff, then freeze it for the week. My dogs are all quite small so freezing the food in ice cube trays and then transferring to reusable plastic bags works for me but for larger dogs you can freeze larger portions.

These two recipes below include all of the essential amino acids as well as vitamins and minerals needed for a healthy pet. You can use your slow cooker or a large pot on the stove. You can also cook the ingredients separately or put them together at once into a pot, just leave out the seeds, yeast, kale, peas and spinach until the end to avoid cooking the nutrients out of them. In these recipes, I use cooked ingredients and mix them up at the end.

Directions:- Mix all of your ingredients in a large mixing bowl. - Add small amounts of water if the mixture is too thick.- If you are cooking for smaller dogs, you can mash it up with a potato masher.- Freeze in proper sealed portions.- A the time of serving, let the portions thaw and mix in taurine, CBD oil and olive oil (if using).

Directions:- Mix all of your ingredients in a large mixing bowl. - Add small amounts of water if the mixture is too thick.- If you are cooking for smaller dogs, you can mash it up with a potato masher.- Freeze in proper sealed portions.- A the time of serving, let the portions thaw and mix in taurine, CBD oil and olive oil (if using).

A couple of notes: Even though Taurine is not an essential amino acid, it is added to most pre-made dog foods and I include it in my recipes but I add it at the time of feeding so each dog gets the correct dosage. I also do this with CBD oil - adding it at the time of feeding so each dog receives the proper dosage. If your dog has winter dandruff or dry skin issues you can add olive oil at the time of feeding as well. Also, if your fur baby doesn’t like a particular fruit or veggie, switch it up to something else or hide it in the food. My dogs don’t really like kale or spinach so I pulverize it in a food processor first and then add it at the end to my recipe. Lastly, cut the ingredients up to suit the size of your dog - if you are feeding a German Shepherd there is no need to cut your carrots up too small.

**there is a lot of conflicting information regarding rosemary as an ingredient in dog food. If you are at all worried make a small batch to see how your dog reacts, or if you prefer, leave the ingredient out.